Method of making tire chains



Jan. 30, 1934. WEED 1,945,359

METHOD OF MAKING TIRE CHAINS Original Filed June 20, 1932 39 4& 39 FL 9f] ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 30, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT *GFFWE Original application June 20, 1932, Serial No. 618,203. Divided and this application May 24, 1933. Serial No. 672,613

12 Claims.' (Cl. 59-35) This invention relates to a cross member for anti-skid tire chains and more particularly to the method of making it, and has for an object to provide such a cross member of a construction which will have a greater amount of wearing ma terial which must be worn off before the cross member will break or fail, and thus greatly increases the life of the cross members.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved cross member which will have a better gripping surface on the road, increasing the anti-skid properties.

Another object is to provide a construction in which the overlapping and connecting end portions of adjacent links are located some distance above the road surface so that they are protected and are not subject to wear by engagement with the road until the material provided for that purpose is first worn off.

Still another object is to provide a construction of cross member in which the side members of the links are provided with additional wearing material to engage the road surface, and which material is extended under the overlapping portion of an adjacent link to support it so that the links will not be crushed down under the weight of the car.

A still further object is to providea link construction which is strengthened at the overlapping end portions so that the link does not need to be welded.

This application is a division of my prior application Serial Number 618,203, filed June 20, 1932, and which issued June 20, 1933, as Patent- No. 1,914,965.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of elements, with the method of making them, as will be more fully disclosed in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a cross section of the lower portion of a tire showing a cross member involving my invention in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the three tread linls of the cross member;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a single link;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of a single link substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the link showing a slightly modified construction;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section substantially on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation showing the first steps in the formation of the link;

Fig. 9 is a transverse section substantially on line 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation showing the next operation in the forming of the link;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section on line 11-11 of Fig. 10; i

Fig. 12 is a side elevation, of an element of a. somewhat different shape which can be used for 66 forming a link and indicatin the first opera-, tion; I

Fig. 13 is a transverse section on line 13-13 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a side elevation of the element in 7 Fig. 12 showing the next operation;

' Fig. 15 is a transverse section on line 15-15 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a bottom plan View of a link separate from'the remaining links;

Fig. 17 is a side elevation of the link showing a slightly modified construction; and

Fig. 18 is a bottom plan view of a slightly different construction.

A section 'of the tire is indicated at 19 and the g cross member of the anti-skid chain as illustrated comprises any desired number-of tread links 20, Y in the present case three being used, and twisted side links 21 for connecting the cross member to the side chains (not shown) extending around 5 the periphery of the tire at the opposite sides thereof.

My invention relates principally to the tread links 20 and the method of making them. Under 1 modern conditions of operation of automobiles item speed portions of the chains are rapidly worn resulting in early breakagedue to wear on the hard surface of the road and also pounding instant to high speeds. In view of these difflcu1-' ties I have provided'an improved link construction inwhich a relatively large amount of additional wearing material is provided on the portions which engage the road surface and have located the connecting portions above these wearing portions so that theyv do not engage the road surface. 'The additional wearing material greatly increases the life of the'links, as does also the fact that the connecting por ions cannot be weakened by wear'with the road surface until the additional wearing portions have been worn 011. I also so loca'te the additional wearing portions that'they support the overlapping portions of the adjacent links and prevent their being crushed down by the weight of the car.

As shown on the drawing each link 20 is of no link of a oblong shape comprising side members 22 and looped end portions 23. It will be seen that the side members 22 have additional metal 24 on their undersides which may be of various thicknesses as found desirable, but ordinarily if the links were made of round bar stock the additional material would be about the thickness of the stock. thus mak'ng the side members 22 of a height substantially twice the thickness of the stock.

The looped or connecting end portions 23 are curved upwardly from the side members 22 as indicated, and preferably the highest point of the underside indicated at 25 is substantially on the same level as the top surface 26 of the side members 22. Thus when they are connected with .the looped end portions of adjacent links'the lowest point of the loop of the adjacent link will not the dotted line 27, in Fig. 1.

be more than the vertical thickness of the loop below the top surface 26, which is indicated by In the links shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5 the overlapping looped end portions 23 are shown substantially circular in cross section. They may, however, be made of different shapes and as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 they are made oval or oblong in cross section with the greatest width in the plane of the link so as to increase the strength and stillness of these connecting portions in the plane of the link to prevent the link opening up. Thus these connecting portions have sufficient strength to prevent the link opening up even though the side members are not welded at the joint as indicated at 32, Fig. 16. These links therefore can be made of alloy steels whichhave great resistance to wear and abrasion even though they do not weld readily, and of course, they may be made of the usual steels that can be welded.

In Figs. 8 to 15 are disclosed the steps of improved method of making these links. In Figs. 8 and 9 a straight bar of rectangular stock is shown at 33. At proper locations one side is removed or cut away to form recesses 34, and the stock may be out ch as indicated at 35 to proper length for the link. The reduced portion 36 above the recesses is used to form the connecting loop portion 23, while the portion between the recesses of the full width of the bar as indicated at 37 forms the additional wearing material 24 of the finished link. The portion 36 may be either cut or shaped to a substantially circular cross section as indicated in Fig. 5, or it may be shaped to an oval or oblong cross section as indicated in Figs. 6, 'l and 11. Ordinarily the next operation after cutting out the portions to form the recesses 34 is to shape the reduced portion 36, although the element may. be bent to the form of the link and then the reduced portion shaped if preferred. This shaping is shown in Figs. 10 and 11 where it is reduced and shaped to the oblong or ovalc'ross sect on as indicated at 36a, and it is also curved upwardly above the top edges 26 of the side portions 37 which correspond to the side portions 22 of the finished link. The .bar may then be bent to the oval shape of Figs. 2 and 3, and 16 or 18, and the abutting ends. welded to form a straight joint as indicated at 32, Fig. 16, or an inclined joint as shown at 32a, Fig. 18, or it may be left unwelded as indicated above thus greatly reducing the cost of manufacture. The joint is not necessarily located in the side of the link as shown, but may be placed in any convenient location.

'As shown in Figs. 12 to 15, the links may be formed from a piece of bar stock rolled with a transverse oval section 38 at its upper portion. and a longitudinal rib 39 of less thickness for its lower portion. This rib may then be cut out to provide the recesses 40 corresponding to the recesses 34 in Fig. 8. The. reduced connecting portion 41 may be then curved upwardly as indicated in Fig. 14 to form the reduced portion which when the link is bent to oval shape provides the looped end portions which overlap the similar portions of adjacent links connecting them together. It will be noted that this reduced portion is also raised above the top of the edge 42 of the side members, and as this reduced link portion 41 is wider in the plane of the link it has greater strength and stiffness in this direction to reduce strains tending to open the link and therefore the link need not necessarily be welded, greatly reducing the cost of manufacture. As the links are preferably made from bar stock the road engaging portion has square edges to grip on icy pavement and it presents these square edges to the pavement in all directions. The recesses 34 and so may be formed by cutting the material from the bar stock or they may, of course, be 1 formed in other ways, as for example by rolling them in the bar or rolling the bar with the recesses in it. In the forming of the links so far described the additional wearing material 24 is not added 1 to the link but is formed as an integral part of it. Thus no welding operations are necessary re ducing the expense and doing away with points or corners which occur when a separate member is welded to the ordinary twisted links in which 1 corners cracks easily start. This is the preferred construction but I am not necessarily limited thereto as the links may be formed of stock 01' uniform size and shape, and then additional wearing material 43 welded on to the lower sides 1 of the side members 44 as indicated at 45 in Fig. 17. With this link there is sufficient stock at the weld to give a strong dependable connection. The finished link is of substantially the same shape as the other links described. These additional 1. The method of making a link for a tire chain cross member which comprises forming spaced notches in one side of a bar to provide reduced portions, curving the reduced portions upward above the remaining portions, and bending the bar into an oblong link with the curved reduced portions forming the ends of the link and the unreduced portions the side members of the link.

2. The method of making a link for a tire chain cross member which comprises forming spaced notches from one edge only of a bar of stock to provide reduced portions in the bar at the other edge, and bending the bar into a link with the reduced portions at the ends and the unreduced portions forming the sides of the link.

' 3. The method of making a link for a tire chain no 4. A method of making a link for a tire chain [50 cross member comprising forming spaced notches in one edge only of a bar of stock and reduced portions at the closed sides of the notches and at the other edge of the bar of greater width than the thickness of the bar between the notches, and bending the bar into a link with the reduced portions at the ends and the unreduced portions forming the sides of the link.

5. A method .of making a link for a. tire chain cross member comprising forming spaced notches in one edge of a substantially rectangular bar to provide reduced portions in the bar, and bending the bar into an oblong link and curving the reduced portions upwardly above the remaining portions so that the curved reduced portions form the ends of the link and the unreduced portions form the sides of the link with the free edges of these portions forming the road engaging surfaces.

6. A method of making a link for a tire chain cross member comprising forming a bar with spaced extensions on one edge only with narrower connecting portions at the other edge between the extensions spaced laterally from the free edges thereof, and bending the bar into a loop with the extensions forming the sides of the link.

7. A method of making'a link for a tire chain cross member comprising forming a substantially rectangular bar with spaced extensions on one edge only and with narrower connecting portions at the other edge between the extensions spaced laterally from the free edges thereof, and bending the bar into a loop with the extensions forming the sides of the link and their free edges in substantially the same plane to form the tread of the link.

8. A method of making a link for a tire chain cross member comprising forming a bar with spaced extensions on one edge with narrower connecting portions between, the extensions spaced laterally from the free edges thereof, and

bending the bar into a loop with the narrower connecting portions curved upwardly above the remaining portions'including the extensions.

9. A method of making a link for a tire chain cross member'comprising rolling a substantially rectangular bar with longitudinal ribs along the opposite sides of one edge and forming spaced recesses in the bar extending from the opposite edge, and bending the bar into a loop with the portions opposite the recesses raised above the remaining portions and with these latter portions forming the side and tread members of the link.

10. A method of making a link for a tire chain cross member comprising rolling a bar with a longitudinal rib along an edge and forming spa ced recesses in the bar, and bending the bar into a loop with the rib portions opposite the recesses forming the connecting ends of the link and the unreduced portions forming the opposite side members of the link.

11. A method of making a link for a tire chain cross member comprising forming a bar with a lateral extension on one side thereof only and with reduced portions at the other side thereof at the ends of said extension, and bending the reduced portions into connecting loops for attachment to adjacent links.

12. The method of making a link for a tire chain cross member which comprises forming metal into a looped link, raising the end portions above the side portions and adding additional metal to the under sides of the side portions for substantially their entire lengths to make them of greater thickness in a vertical direction than 

